Air conditioning device



arch 19, 1935.

J. KOH UT 1,994,523

AIR CONDITIONING DEVICE- Original Filed Oct. 16, 1931 4HH g7 0, 0 0; 06 OOO'DQ:

o o er 6 0 0 10 0 53 3) 0 b o INVENTOR.

BY m1 M! ATTORNEY Wuteuted Mar. 19, 1935 starts Application @otober 16, 1931, Serial No. 569,238 Renewed August 21, 1934 3 Claims.

t chambers, which are heated either by hot air or steam heat, is exceptionally dry and injurious to the health of the occupants. Various means of increasing the humidity content of such air have been suggested.

The main dimculty encountered has been to secure sumciently large molecular suspension of water to properly humidity the air and secondly the problem of increasing the humidity without condensation has been present. The present invention has for one of its objects the provision of novel means for enriching the humidity content of air by securing molecular suspension of large quantities of water in air in comparatively short periods of time without noticeable formation of drople In the case of fumigation for diseases or extermination of vermin it is customary to saturate the air of the chamber or chambers being treated with the iumigant or exterminant as the case may be. The said air may be saturated with such fumigants or exterminants by treating the water solutions of the respective compounds to secure a finely divided or molecular suspension of the said solutions in the air in said chamber.

It is also frequently necessary to atomize oils in extremely finely divided state.

It is a second object of my invention therefore to provide a device which may be readily adaptable for use to secure a molecular suspension in air, gas or other elastic fluid either of fumigants or exterminants or other liquids. In fact, my device may be employed for any purpose where a molecular suspension of fluids or gas in another gas or elastic fluid is desired.

A further object is the provision of a device which may be simply and edectively constructed.

Still another object is the provision of a device which may be operated at extremely low power cost and with high emciency.

Yet a further object is the provision of a device which is adaptable for domestic use.

With the above and other objects in view my invention comprises the novel construction, combination and arrangement of elements to be hereinafter more fully described, shown and defined in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawing which forms part of this specification and in which similar reference parts:-

characters denote corresponding Fig. 1 is a sectional elevation of one form of my device;

2 is a partial section along line 2-2 of Fig. I seen in the direction of the arrows;

Fig. 3 is a partial section along line 3-3 of Fig. 1 also seen in the direction of the arrows;

Fig. 4 is a sectional elevation of a modim form of my device; and

Fig. 5 is a full section along line 5-5 of Fig. 4 seen in the direction of the arrows.

Referring to the drawing, 10 denotes a housing of any desired shape, having a removable top 11 and an open bottom. Internally the housing 10 is provided with vertical partition 12 which serves to divide it into two chambers A and B.

Mounted at the bottom of chamber A is a distributing plate iii-having a plurality of ream-.- larly arranged perforations 1i. Suitably supported in chamber A above plate 13 and smd from each other at suitable intervals are a plu- 2o rality of horizontal partitions 15 each having a plurality of regularly arranged perforations it which are in axial alignment with the perforations id in plate 13. The respective partitions l5 divide the portion of the chamber A in which as they are mounted into a plurality of auxiliary compartments C. Extending longitudinally through the respective perforations 16 are a plurality of tubes 17 having perforations in tm circumference and preferably formed of due to mesh, or porous material. The lower ends of said tubes terminate a short distance above the plate 13. Above the upper terminals of tube 1? I provide a further partition 18 which is provided with a plurality of perforations 19 which latter prefer= $5 ably are not in alignment with the tubes 17. Said plate is therefore serves in the capacity of a We plate. Its presence is optional and the device will function without it. Above plate 18, mrtition i2 is provided with an enlarged opening 20. do

Suitably supported in compartment B is a suction pump 21 whose inlet is located at the opening 20. The outlet 23 of the pump is positioned in front of an opening 24-in the wall of the housing 10 in chamber B.

Provided in the housing it at a point between the lowermost partition 15 and plate 13 is an inlet 25 to which may be connected a pipe 26 which latter is connected to a liquid supply (not shown) In operation my device is employed as to iollows:-

The pump or blower 21 is started as a result ad which air or gas is drawn upwardly through the tubes l7 into chamber A, thence through opening through the pump and blown outwardly M mounted directly in opening through opening 24. Simultaneously the 'fluid to be converted is fed in through inlet 25. This fluid distributes itself on plate 13 in an even layer about the respective perforations 14. As long as air is being drawn upwardly, through tubes 1'7, and, of course, through perforations 14, the liquid will not drop below partition 13. The stream of air moving rapidly past the water layer held on partition 13 carries the liquid from the latter upwardly and it is deposited in a fine film on the walls of the tubes 17. The air, however, as it moves upwardly through chamber A does not fiow in a continuous path directly through the tubes 1'7, but has in addition a lateral movement through the walls of the said tubes into the compartments C between tubes. In passing through the walls of the tubes, of course, the air or gas must pass through the liquid film deposited thereon. In so doing it necessarily tears the liquid from the latter in extremely finely divided state and carries it-upwardly with it into the region above the tubes in chamber A, where the gas expands and thence outwardly through the pump and emerges at the outlet 24. Any large drops which may be picked up by the air currents in the tubes 17 drop by.

force of their own weight through gravitational action and are deposited either as film on the tubes 17 or else return to the liquid surface on the plate 13. The gas coming from outlet 24 contains liquid in minute or molecular suspension which is absolutely unnoticeable as even a spray. In the case of water and air the enriched air from outlet 24 simulates a humid atmospheric condition and the air so enriched has a high percentage humidity. Of course, by virtue of evaporation which also takes place to some extent, the temperature of the enriched air is lower than that of the surrounding atmosphere. The degree of humidity can also be varied by regulating the quantity of liquid supplied to the device.

The structure shown, of course, is not to be limited to the exact details shown. For instance,

a blower or pump for blowing air from the bottom of partition 13 instead of drawing it through,

' -may be substituted with equal effectiveness.

In the modification of Fig. 4, which is particularly adaptable in increasing humidity content of air on a commercial practical scale, the suction pump may be replaced by a suction fan 27 20. In this case the portion of the housing forming chamber B may be entirely eliminated. I

In similar manner in place of a suction fan, a blower fan could be located below plate 13 in 'chamber A, and chamber B likewise eliminated.

It is to be understood, of course, that cover 11 should fit over the upper end of housing 10 in gas tight manner.

As soon as either the pump or fans are stopped any of the distributed liquid remaining on plate 13 will immediately leak out through the perforations 14. To recover the unused liquid the whole housing 10 may be supported on legs 28 in a collecting pan or reservoir 29.

The distributing plate 13 is of vital importance for without it there would not be uniform action in all of the tubes 17.

The use of a plurality of tubes is advantageous for several reasons. In the first place the diameter of the tubes may be reduced and by so doing uniformity of distribution of the molecular suspension in the gas stream in the tube is secured, for, if the diameter is too large, the gas flowing upwardly near the center of the respective tubes will not come in contact with the liquid film on the walls of the tube, and hence will not contain as much or any of the suspension.

A second advantage of increasing the number of tubes is that the power necessary to carry liquid from the surface of the layer on plate 13 to the top of the tubes is decreased, because their length is shortened. Hence, the cost of operation is greatly reduced.

Of course, the number of tubes may be varied depending upon the particular requirements.

It is to be further noted that the device in case its application to air humidification also serves as an air cleanser because the porous tubes pick up the impurities in the air as the latter expands laterally into chambers C. Such impurities however, do not clog the tubes because the water which is in continuous flux on the walls of said tubes washes said impurities down and they are carried away below with the excess water.

My device may be varied in many ways without departingfrom the spirit of my invention and I do not wish to be limited to the details shown and described.

What I claim is:-

1. An apparatus for converting liquid into a.

molecular suspension thereof in a gas comprising a housing, a plurality of superposed compartments in said housing, a plurality of vertically supported porous tubes extending through said compartments, means for circulating a current of gas upwardly through said tubes, a partition having perforations in alignment with the inlet ends of said tubes, mounted below the latter and spaced therefrom, and means for admitting liquid to said housing-between the. lowermost of said superposed compartments and the said partition.

2. An apparatus for converting liquid into a molecular suspension thereof in a gas comprising an enclosure having an open bottom and an outlet, a plurality of superposed compartments in said enclosure between said bottom and said outlet, porous tubes extending through saiddompartments and terminating below said outlet, a perforated partition mounted in said enclosure below the inlet of said tubes and having perforations in axial alignment with said tubes, means for admitting the liquid to be instilled to said enclosure above said partition, said latter serving as a distributor thereof, and means for circulating a gas current upwardly through said tubes whereby said liquid will be lifted by said current and deposited as a film on said tubes and converted into a molecular suspension in said gas by passage of the latter through the walls of said porous tubes.

3. An apparatus molecular suspension in a gas comprising a housing having an open bottom, a plurality of superposed compartments in said housing, a perforated tube member extending through said compartments, a partition mounted below the lower end of said tube member and having a perforation in axial alignment with the said tube, means for admitting liquid to said housing between the lowermost compartment and said partition and means for circulating a current of gas upwardly through said tube member, said housing having an outlet above the upper end of said tube member.

JOHN KOHUT. 

